Trailer mounting device



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Dec. 14, 1943. F. u. ANDERSON TRAILER MOUNTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 26, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Uflndenson ATTKS Patented Dec. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRAILER MOUNTING navroa Frank o. Anderson, Stockton, cam. Application December 26, 1941, Serial No. 424,523

' 1 Claim. (or. 280124) This invention: relates .generally to a wheel mounting assembly for vehicles and in particular is directed to awheelmounting assembly for house trailers.:. i

The principalobject of my invention is to provide a wheel mounting assembly for house trailersarranged so that thebody of the trailer may be lowered to alevel and stableground engaging position when desired,"thus relieving the weight on the tireswhen the trailer is to remain in one placepfor a period of time; My invention also avoids the necessity of using a plurality of jacks and supporting blocks as is now commonly done to maintain the. house body trailer in a steady and tire relieving position. I i

This applicationiincludes the .subject matter of my allowed abandoned application, Serial No. 139,964, filed April 30, 1937. 1

A further object ofthelinvention is to produce a simple and inexpensive deviceand yet one which will be exceedingly efiective for-the purpose for which itisdesigned. s

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a house trailer embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the trailer chassis showing the special framing arrangement.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse section on line 33 of Fig. 2, showing the wheel mounting mechanism.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross section on line 55 of Fig. 4, showing one of the stop pins as mounted in position.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the body of the house trailer, indicated generally at l, is mounted on a framing of special construction. This framing comprises side sills 2 set on edge, connected as well by end cross members 3 and intermediate cross members 4 of lesser height than the sills. Longitudinal transversely spaced stringers 5 extend the full length of the framing between sills 2 and rest on and are supported by the cross members. The drawerbar unit 6 is connected to the stringers and projects forwardly therefrom.

Pairs of longitudinal angle irons l, disposed in inverted and facing relation, extend between and are secured on cross members 4, each pair being located between a stringer and the adjacent sill. The sills, angle irons and stringers are disposed so that their upper surface is on a common level, providing a firm support for the flooring 8.

The angle irons centrally of their ends support the wheels in the manner hereinafter described, the load being transmitted to the cross members 4 and the latter being so disposed relative to the framing as to substantially balance the latter on the two wheels, and so as to give a very even distribution of the load on the frame.

A pair of wheel mounting hangers is provided, each including a horizontal plate 9 fitting between and welded to angles l, and a pair of depending parallel guide bars I0 spaced lengthwise of the horizontal plate. The guide bars of each hanger are substantially rectangular in section and freely extend through openings or slots in a cross member ll; said cross member being slidably disposed on said bars. If desired, the bar engaging faces of the cross members may be rounded as shown at i la in Fig. 5 in order to facilitate sliding movement of the cross members up and down the guide bars.

A horizontal transversely extending axle I2 is mounted between the cross members It and is rigidly fixed thereon, said axle being formed at each end with spindles l3 which project beyond the hangers. Pneumatic-tired vehicle wheels it of standard construction are mounted on the spindles. The rods I5; are connected between the lower ends of corresponding guide bars of the hangers.

A heavy duty compression spring I5 is disposed vertically between each horizontal plate 9 and cross member I I; said spring being normally under compression and held in place by locating elements l'l which project a short distance into the adjacent coils of the spring from both the horizontal plate 9 and cross member I l. The guide bars it adjacent their lower ends but above the point of connection of the guide bars with the tie rods are formed with transverse keyhole slots I8 which are adapted to receive stop pins l9 therethrough. Each stop pin comprises a pair of spaced laterally projecting ears 20 adapted to engage the adjacent portion of the guide bar closely therebetween after the stop pin has been When my improved wheel mounting assembly is in use, the weight of the body of the house trailer maintains springs I8 under compression and prevents escape of said spring from the lecaters l1. When the trailer is in transit, the wheels I! may move up and down due to road shock, etc., said shock being absorbed by the springs ll. 01' course with such movement the cross members H slide up and down the guide bars I 0. In the event that the trailer encounters exceedingly rough roads and the trailer body tends to bounce, the stop Pins I! prevent the cross members II from moving down the guide bars 10 suflicient distanceto permit the escape,

of springs Hi from locaters l1.

When it is desired to lower the body of the trailer to a level and ground engaging ition, the stop pins I! are first removed from eyhole slots l8 and the trailer body then jacked up which raises guide bars I relative to cross members .8.

After the guide bars have been raised suilicient distance relative to cross members I I, the springs I may be then removed from the locaters. As tie rods 15 extend between the lower ends of guide bars Ill, it is impossible for cross members II to escape from the guide bars during such spring removing operation. After the springs l6 are removed, the body of the trailer is lowered until it rests upon blocks B on the ground, such lowering of the body being unrestricted by the wheels as the cross members II which support the wheel axle then freely slide up the guide bars. Wheel receiving housings 22 project upwardly from the present and preferred construction, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not'form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a wheel mounting assembly which includes a pair of wheels, an axle on which said wheels are mounted, spaced guide members secured on the axle between the wheels, a hanger for each guide member, said hanger including a pair of depending guide bars between which the corresponding guide member is slidably mounted in guided relation, an upstanding helical compression spring mounted between each guide member and the upper end of the corresponding hanger between the guide bars thereof, and locating elements longitudinally releasably engaging each spring at its ends to prevent displacement thereof in a horizontal direction when said spring is under compression; the guide bars 01. each hanger depending below the corresponding guide member, when the spring is compressed, a distance sufllcient to allow of relatively downward move-l ment of the guide members to a position to relieve the springs of all compression and clear said elements from the ends of said springs while the guide members remain on the guide bars and whereby the springs may be withdrawn from position without resistance, stop elements mounted in connection with the guide bars below said position arranged to limit downward movement of the guide members and prevent escape of said members from the hangers, and other stop elements removably mounted in connection with the bars of the hangers normally below said guide members but disposed to limit downward movement of said guide members to a point short of said spring removing position of the guide members and a distance insufllcient to relieve the spring of all compression.

FRANK U. ANDERSON. 

